Following a sold out performance of Handel’s Messiah at Sage Gateshead last Christmas, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Chorus return this Easter week for two rare performances of his choral masterpiece Israel in Egypt.

Taking place on Tuesday 11 April at 8pm in the atmospheric Durham Cathedral and Thursday 13 April at 7.30pm in the world-class acoustics of Sage One, the piece takes the listener on a dramatic musical journey through jumping frogs, showers of hailstones, eerie darkness, buzzing flies and across the Red Sea.

Written three years before Messiah, the oratorio is composed entirely of selected passages from the Old Testament, and its thrilling double chorus numbers are sure to provide an experience to remember for Handel fans.

Joining RNS and Chorus on stage are six wonderful solo artists from Samling, including award-winning soprano Rowan Pierce who wowed audiences at the academy’s anniversary gala at Sage Gateshead last month, and conductor Nicholas McGegan, one of the finest baroque conductors of his generation.

Choral enthusiasts may also be interested in another of RNS’ upcoming concerts: A Beethoven Feast on Saturday 10 June. The evening is a recreation of Beethoven’s 22 December 1808 concert in Vienna, an extraordinary event in the history of music which included world premieres of Piano Concerto No.4 and Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6 as well as performances of the Gloria, Sanctus and Benedictus from his Mass in C, and the Choral Fantasy.

As part of the concert, there will be two extended dinner intervals during which a fine dining seven-course feast will be served in the stunning wood-panelled Northern Rock Foundation Hall, right at the heart of Sage Gateshead. Not to be missed!

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